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 Post subject: Anemia in a Mare
PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 10:26 am 
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Terry writes:

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I have a 4 yr old TB mare that just tested extremly anemic.Looking at her you would never believe it. My vet only tested her because she has become extremely cranky about everything and we couldn't figure out why...she is going on bloodbuilder injections, and a bloodbuilder that the vet supplies...I have a stack of expensive entry fee's prepaid on her,any other suggestions?




Dr. K replies:

Quote:
Most herbals for anemia are good iron sources but iron deficiency anemia is so rare in horses as to be almost nonexistent unless they have had a massive blood loss.

Most likely cause is infectious. You need to do a Coggins test right away and if that's negative check for more obscure diseases, usually tick borne, like Babesia or Ehrlichia. Ehrlichia will infect across species lines so a check for E. equi will be inadequate. Was white count normal? Platelet count OK? Another option is to just treat her empirically with oral doxycycline or if you want to go the herbal route I would suggest Artemesia but don't have any direct experience with this and it is a very potent herb.



My reply:


Mmmmmmmm, I am with, sort of, Dr. K on this one. Even though anemia is commonly diagnosed in the performance world, I have raced horses since the mid-1970s and cannot honestly say that I have ever really, for sure, come across a race horse that was anemic. I don't trust most clinical lab tests. They are open to a wide range of error and misinterpretation. My deceased wives was a lab tech and, believe me, she put the fear of the gods into me about lab test results. So, any one lab result should only be taken with a grain of salt and reevaluated by physical diagnosis and further tests.

Anemia which is usually thought of as a lack of normal red blood cells is exceedingly hard to pin down in the equine. The problem with the equine is that their RBCs can be squeezed out of the spleen and flood the system at a moments notice and opens this specie up to all sorts of unusual physiological implications and hard to read test results. For instance, the dubious use of erythropoietin in the equine performance horse for a blood packing effect, will run into all sorts of problems that would not be experienced in other species that do not have this RBC spleen releasing phenomena.

At any rate, the common protocol for equine anemia in the past was injections of B12, folic acid, and the supplementation of various iron products. That was about it. Herbally, you will find various herbs high in iron to be the prescription for anemia. Thus, you are supplying iron to the system in which it is perceived to be iron deficient. Somehow, I think this is a bit too simplistic. There are a number of herbs that tend to affect the circulatory system and immune system. A Canadian study seems to suggest that Echinacea has significantly increased the number and size of red blood cells with a marked increase in the level of hemoglobin in the blood of the treated group of horses versus the placebo group. This would tend to suggest that many of the herbs similar to Echinacea would be of value in rebuilding blood. I would think that the herb called Black Susan would be another excellent plant; it is similar to echinacea in supporting/building blood and the immune system. Black Susan is plentiful in my part of the country in the summer and the roots could be dug up and fed in the feed. Let me also say, that the quality of Echinacea and other herbs is very important. Much of what can be bought over-the-counter are of dubious value, Echinacea being a prime example. If you taste potent Echinacea by chewing the root in your mouth--you should naturally feel a numbing, tingling sensation from the good "stuff". You will not get that affect from most store bought preparations. The fresh herb dug up in your area is much preferred for efficacy. Use only warehouse bought herbs as the last resort, not only because of the great expense, but also of the lack of potency.

I am a follower of the Schulze protocols and he recommends the below formula for blood cleansing and building (parts are in volumes, not weight):

Red Clover blossoms (2 parts)
Lobelia herb (1part)
Cayenne pepper (1 part)
Garlic juice (1 part, make in a juicer or blender from the bulb)
Chaparral herb (2 parts)

...and to this formula, add one of the below in though all may be of value, one part:

burdock seed and root
poke root
yellow dock
oregon grape root
bloodroot root sap

You would make a tincture of these herbs and dose the horse 40 to 120 droppersfuls (35 drops per dropperful) per day. To make a tincture is not difficult; if you are interested, I will go into more detail, but basically you take the herbs and let them soak in a alcohol solution for 2-4 weeks, strain, then prescribe.

Though horses are not normally given juices, let me say that juices are like blood transfusions. They take very little digestion to assimilate. They go right into the blood stream. Fresh carrot and beet juice can do wonders for anemia. So if you have a nice heavy duty juicer and you have access to bushels of carrots and beets, particularly with the green tops--they can do wonders for the horse. You could feed them the raw vegetables, but they would not consume enough juice that way to get the full efficacy of what can only be found in the juice--all very vital for blood.

Yellow dock has long been thought effective in anemia cases. It is high in iron. Spring and Fall are the times to dig the roots up, but they are often hard to hunt out in the winter months if you are not familiar with what yellow dock looks like as a summer plant.

Blue vervain is said to be of value in anemia. You would want the upper leaves and flowers which would make it a summer acquisition. We have much of it growing here in Missouri and it could be easily picked and incorporated into rations.

Last, but not least, you should have your horse on a complete anti-oxidant program of Vit C, Lipoic acid, Co Q 10, Vit E, Selenium, for starters. Never underestimate the value of the anti-oxidant network as described by Dr. Packer.

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